


Taming the Beast

by kayleeschuyler (stephaniebithell)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (off screen), Altean Empire, Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe, Dark Lance (Voltron), Dehumanization, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Evil Alteans, For the Love of Blue Big Bang 2019, Galra Keith (Voltron), Implied Genocide, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron)-centric, M/M, Master/Pet, Matricide, implied use of hotkrill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 21:10:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17495432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephaniebithell/pseuds/kayleeschuyler
Summary: Crown Prince Lance is the heir to the Altean Empire.  He has always been marked as the black sheep of the royal family and strives to find a way to better his people's way of life as a way to prove himself.  It isn't until he finds a unique creature during one of his missions to bring another civilisation under the Empire's control, that he may have found the key to the future of their way of life.





	Taming the Beast

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for the Love of Blue Big Bang 2019.
> 
> Art by gerryiscool

“Oh I know,” Lance crooned, “I know you hate this part, my pet, but you have to be patient.  It won’t hurt for too much longer.”

 

A whine sounded from the pitiful creature strapped down on the cold, hard bench.  Lance bent down and pet it’s furry head, letting his perfectly manicured nails scratch it’s scalp gently.  The creature’s golden eyes were darting everywhere as Lance continued to speak to it.

 

“Come now, if you behave yourself and be the good boy that I know you can be, I’ll give you a treat at the end.  One of the nice treats too, not those yucky ones that Bandor gave you last week.”

 

The creature seemingly calmed at his words but certainly not enough for Lance’s liking, “Now, Dr. Kondolo is going to start his exam and you are going to let him do what he has to alright?”

 

Lance waited until he saw that it had understood him before he nodded at the scientist standing silently in the room, waiting for Lance’s permission to begin.  The room was stark white and sterile, a standard Altean laboratory, and at the centre was the bench that held Lance’s pet. It was time for it’s monthly check-up to ensure that it was continuing to be healthy and had not contracted any diseases that some primitive species, like its own, were prone to picking up.

 

The creature shied away from the doctor as he moved forward with the imposing needle in his hands.  It’s purple fur standing on end as it started to whimper in anticipation of the pain that would follow the implement being injected into its arm.  Lance let out a quiet tut of annoyance at his pet’s behaviour, but it was loud enough for it to be heard and the whimpering died out.

 

Lance hopped up on one of the sterile benches that were scattered around the laboratory.  From past visits, he knew that the examination would take at least a varga to complete and he didn’t want to be standing on his feet the entire time.  Pulling out the communication tablet that he always had on his person, he tapped it a few times until a series of reports started flowing across the screen.  As he sat in relative silence, reading the reports, Lance allowed his mind to wander back to when he had first found his pet.

 

_ “Your Highness, please I beg you to reconsider,” Commander Hira said as she stood in front of Lance, her arms outstretched as if to block him from moving forward.  “The planet is too dangerous for someone of your status to set foot upon. Think of the Empire! What would they do if something happened to you while you were down there?” _

 

_ Lance scoffed, “The Empire would continue to push forwards as it always has Commander.  I am just but one cog in the machine that allows our people to expand and bring peace to the universe.  As for this planet being dangerous, it is no more dangerous than the last half dozen we have been to, nor is it filled with a race of creatures that could harm me.  They are listed as a primitive species barely out of infancy and I am sure that with all the training that you and your unit gave me as a child, I can handle a couple of primitives.” _

 

_ Hira looked as if she was about to have an aneurysm from the stress that her charge was giving her.  She took a step forward, trying again in what she knew was vain to convince Lance to stay on the ship.  “Please your Highness, you are the crown prince to the Altean Empire, you are the next in line to the throne if something was to happen to your mother.  It is my duty to ensure that no harm comes to you and I must uphold that duty even if it goes against your orders.” _

 

_ “Commander,” Lance said, his teasing tone shifting to something darker, “I will be leaving for the planet immediately.  If you try to stop me from doing so, you will regret it. “He turned his head to look at her, his gaze like ice. “As you say, I am the Crown Prince and I will be obeyed.” _

 

_ Lance strode past Hira, his shoulder checking hers as he passed.  He was furious that he had been challenged on such a simple thing.  He couldn’t have his commanders questioning his decisions now, especially when he was so close to his goals.  They had to obey him in everything, even if they disagreed. They could complain as much as they wanted behind closed doors, but never in public and never without his permission.   _

 

_ He reached the pod that was being deployed to the planet below the royal cruiser, it was large enough for a platoon of imperial soldiers to be transported and still have room for the cells where prisoners could be held.  He took his spot at the front of the pod and gazed out of the window to view the purple desolate planet that had been deemed too dangerous for him to visit. Surely there was nothing of value there, but he had been sent by his mother, the Empress, to claim it in the name of the empire, and so he would.  But not before he took a look around for anything that could be of benefit for his own plans. _

 

“Your Highness,” Dr. Kondolo said quietly as to not startle Lance in his internal musing, “I apologize for the disturbance your highness, but the examination is complete.”

 

Lance quirked an eyebrow, “And?”

 

The doctor fumbled to bring up his own tablet, “Your pet’s readings are consistent with what a normal male of his species should be.  His heart rate was up a little but I believe that to be from the stress of being examined more than any illness or injury. I did note that he is starting to put on more weight than his previous visits, perhaps I could suggest less treats and a stricter diet would ensure that...he…”

 

The doctor’s words trailed off as he felt the dangerous aura that was surrounding Lance.  “You dare to presume to tell me how to look after my pet? I bring it to you only to ensure that it is healthy and whole, not for you to spout your ridiculous ideas of how to care for it.  If I am able to care for my empire, then I am more than capable of caring for my own pet.”

 

“Please forgive me, your Highness,” he said as Dr. Kondolo ducked his head in shame for trying to correct his ruler.

 

Lance sneered at the quivering man and hopped off the table, stopping only to whisper in his ear, “Never presume to tell me how to do anything ever again.  Remember doctor, you are only here because I allow it.” Continuing onwards, Lance paused at the table where his pet had been previously strapped down and noted that it had been released but still sat shivering on the cool bench.

 

“Come pet, you were such a good boy, I think you deserved a treat.”  Lance clicked the leash he had stored in his pocket to the blue collar that was attached to his pet’s neck.  “I think a nice walk around the gardens would be a good change of scenery from this dismal laboratory, don’t you?”

 

His pet looked up at him with it’s golden eyes and after a moment clambered down from the bench to stand next to Lance to patiently wait for it’s next order, just as Lance had taught it.  After ruffling the fur on its head, Lance tugged the leash gently and lead his pet towards where the simulated gardens were located on the mothership that they lived in.

 

Lance knew they were always a sight when he walked through the ship with his pet at his side.  Some he believed were jealous of his position and power, some were angry at how blase he seemed to the potential danger that his pet posed, some looked on in awe at their new Emperor.  

 

He had only just recently come into power after his mother passed away from a sudden illness, that the doctors couldn’t explain how she had contracted as it was an ancient virus that was thought to have been extinct. 

 

What the doctors and the rest of the Empire didn’t know was that it had been an extinct virus, or at least dormant until it had been revived by a scientist that Lance had hired.  His mother had been a good Altean Empress, she had led the empire to prosperity and had improved the lives of dozens of races.

 

But now she was gone and while the people had grieved at the sudden loss of their Empress, the Generals and Ministers had scrambled to seal the power vacuum that she had left in her wake.  Lance hadn’t worried though, he knew that he was next in line for the throne and that if anyone tried to steal it from him, he had plenty of high ranking officials behind him.

 

They arrived at the gardens after a short walk.  The greenery was lush and fertile, or at least that is how the holograms make it appear.  It was impossible for them to get true gardens to flourish on their ship, the plants just withering away to nothing.  Not even Juniberries, the most hardy of plants, survived.

 

Lance looked down at his pet, it’s eyes were wide with joy at returning to the gardens, it’s favourite place to play.  It had taken a while for Lance to persuade his pet to leave his side and roll around in the grass. The gardens were a popular place for his subjects to bring their children and pets to relax and forget that they lived in a large spaceship.  

 

Lance himself would come here as a child to try and play with other children but it would never last long.  The parents of the child would always come and take their child away muttering things like how they didn’t want their child playing with ‘that Prince’ or how they didn’t understand why the Empress hadn’t locked ‘that oddity’ away.

 

At the time it had hurt Lance that people said those things about him.  He had tried bringing it up with his mother, but she was far too busy to deal with such a minor thing like that.  So he had bottled it up inside himself, the fact that he questioned everything instead of just accepting the way things were, was not the acceptable way to behave.  It wasn’t until Lance was older that he had realised that being different was his strength.

 

Now, as he watched his pet sniff a flower and it’s face drop at the lack of scent, Lance knew that what he had done was the right thing to do.  He just had to convince the rest of his race to change their entire mindset and break down thousands of years of history. But as he called his pet back to him, taking up the leash again as he started walking back to his chambers, Lance knew he could do it.  Even if it killed him.

 

_ The planet was desolate.  The air, while still breathable, was stale with the scent of death and decay.  The ground was a hard clay-like substance that Lance knew the non-cogs would have a difficult time working in.  There was almost no fauna or flora as far as the eye could see and other than a large pile of rocks a ways away,  it looked as if the planet was dead. Not that it would stop the Empire from terraforming it into a bustling metropolis.   _

 

_ Lance shifted his gaze over to the rock formation to his right, it intrigued him.  Why would there be this seemingly random formation on a planet that hosted seemingly no life?  Wasn’t this planet supposed to have a hostile species? If the reports were accurate, then where were they?  Lance knows he would have attacked an invading species by now, especially since they weren’t exactly subtle in their arrival. _

 

_ “Your Highness?” Hira said as she moved to stand next to Lance, “What is it?” _

 

_ Lance glanced back at the commander, “Something isn’t right here.  I want to check out those rocks. Be on guard for a potential ambush.” _

 

_ Hira nodded as she motioned for the rest of their unit to form up around Lance and they slowly made their way over.  As they got closer, Lance saw that the rocks were more reminiscent of a forest than a pile of stones. The structures were easily over 10 feet high;he struggled to wrap his arms around the “trunks” and yet they felt... _ alive _.  As much as stone could be alive, Lance supposed, but still.  They felt like they were whispering to him as he walked past them. _

 

_ A cry of alarm caught his attention and Lance spun on his heel, only to see one of the rear guards be pulled upwards to the top of the stone pillar by an unseen assailant.  Another cry, this time from the front of their group, sounded and the soldier who had been leading the expedition was yanked out of view. _

 

_ “Close in!  Protect your Prince!” Hira cried as she pulled out her sword and moved to stand in Lance’s personal space. _

 

_ Lance himself, pulled out his own sword and stood with his back to the commander, knowing that even if she didn’t agree with his coming here, she would never allow someone to attack him.  More men were being taken from the outer edges of their circle with seemingly no pattern as to which side would be attacked next. It was pure chaos until Lance spotted a figure crouched on one of the spires that arched out like a branch.   _

 

_ They were shrouded in a large cloak that completed obscured their body, giving Lance nothing to go off to identify what race they were or if they had any obvious weaknesses.  Knowing that if he didn’t do something quickly, his entire platoon would be killed and he would be next, Lance took aim and threw his sword at the creature.  _

 

_ It shrieked in pain as the sword hit its mark and knocked it off its perch and plummeted to the ground.  The cry of agony was enough to distract the attackers for Lance’s men to change the tide of the one-sided battle.  Now they were on the offensive and the unknown force was desperately trying to escape. The Altean’s knew that they had been ordered to take any beings they found alive unless absolutely necessary and so only knocked the creatures unconscious instead of killing them. _

 

_ Lance moved over to where the one he had hit lay on the ground, groaning in pain.  He gripped the handle of his sword, still stuck in the folds of the cloak, and assumably its body.  But instead of pulling out the sword, Lance put more pressure on it, causing the creature to scream out a word in a language he didn’t understand.   _

 

_ “Your Highness, are you injured?” Hira asked as she moved up to stand next to him. _

 

_ “No, but I believe this creature is,” Lance said while never taking his eyes of the creature at his feet.  “How about we see what we are dealing with?” _

 

_ Hira took the unspoken direction and bent down to remove the cloak from where the head should have been.  As she did so, Lance felt his blood run cold. It wasn’t possible. They had been extinct for centuries. This creature that lay on the ground at Lance’s feet, shouldn’t exist.  But it was unmistakable with the purple fur covering its entire body, the golden pupilless eyes and the bared fangs. This creature was a descendant of a once feared race. It’s ancestors who had once tried to claim the universe as their own. _

 

_ “Galra.” _

 

The ship was quiet during the night.  Lance had always enjoyed the peace that came with the changing of the simulated sun to the moon.  It was a time of reflection and connection. It allowed families to speak about their day and for parents to reassure their children that the Galra were never coming back.  Or at least they had until Lance and his team had discovered the long thought extinct race on a backwater planet.

 

At first, the court had tried to kill the survivors that had been brought back to the ship, claiming that they would never be useful, even as non-cogs.  The Empress had praised her son in his find and at his request had decreed that all Galra would be sent to a mining planet where the inhabitants were blind and therefore would not be able to tell what they were.  

 

Well, all the Galra except for one.  The one that Lance had impaled on his sword had been retained in the med bay, recovering from his injuries and it was believed that he wouldn’t have the strength to survive in the mines.  The Empress had been willing to have that one killed as there was no position or location that he could go that wouldn’t have caused an uproar. 

 

Lance had jumped in at that point and made a case that since it was his fault that the creature was injured it should be his responsibility to care for it.  When that had caused his mother to hesitate, Lance had then continued that he had been wanting to conduct an experiment where the Galran would be beneficial.

 

That was how Lance now found himself relaxing in his royal suite with a Galran crouched on the floor staring at him.  The blue collar that was permanently attached to its neck held the crest of the royal family, showing that it belonged to them.  Specifically Lance. 

 

He had always known that the hotkril was a crude way of maintaining the peace between the universe.  It was a barbaric and ancient piece of technology that was bound to fail at some point and Lance didn’t want to see his people fall because of some politicians hubris.  So in his younger years, Lance had researched a way to control their subjects without resorting to making them non-cogs. It wasn’t until he had met the Galran that he had found a way.

 

_ The Galran snarled as it thrashed around in its cage.  Lance didn’t allow the threatening display intimidate him as he was sure it was meant to.  Instead, he pulled up a comfortable chair from his desk and waited. After a few dobashes the creature must have realized that its display wasn’t working.  It went quiet for a moment before it started to spout, what Lance can only assume was insults, in a torrent of guttural sounds that made it sound like it was being strangled.   _

 

_ Lance knew from his studies that the Galran language was once a universal dialect and yet in the 10,000 years since their demise, it had now retreated into this mishmash of grunts and snarls.  He couldn’t understand a word of what was being hurled at him but at least he got the extreme hatred that it was being said with. Sighing, Lance shook his head and decided that perhaps reading a book might be a better way for him to use his time as he waited for the Galran to calm down enough so that Lance would be able to start his experiment.   _

 

_ It was another four vargas before the Galran had finally started to run out of steam.  Its never-ending stream of insults and pleas died out and silence once again reigned. Lance waited a further half varga to reinforce the fact that he was the one in charge of the situation and that no matter what the Galran did, it was up to Lance as to what happened.   _

 

_ Making sure to snap the book shut with an auditory slam, that made the Galran flinch, he stood up and moved towards where the cage was positioned in the middle of his study.  Lance circled the cage, still not saying a word, and inspected the now trembling creature. Its fur was ruffled from the movement it had been doing and it was panting from the exertion.   _

 

_ “I am Lance, Crown Prince of the Altean Empire,” he said as he moved to stand in the Galran’s sight, “Do you understand what I am saying?’ _

 

_ The Galran glared at him as it watched him warily but didn’t indicate that it had understood a word that Lance had said.  Lance felt himself deflate a little, if he couldn’t even communicate with the creature then his plan wouldn’t work. _

 

_ Lance crossed his arms, “Fine, if you can’t understand me, then I will just have to teach you Altean.” _

 

_ It took a pheob of painstaking work before Lance finally got a breakthrough.  For, what felt like, the hundredth time, Lance sat in front of the cage and asked, “I am Lance, Crown Prince of the Altean Empire.  Do you understand what I am saying?” _

 

_ The Galran look Lance in the eye before saying, in a harsh tone, “Yes.” _

 

_ Lance almost fell over when he heard the Altean language come from the creature.  It had been a long, arduous journey of repeatedly pointing at the different letters of their alphabet and speaking them out loud.  Of constantly using cue cards to show what different words meant. And now? He had the first step in what he hoped was the right direction. _

 

_ “Ok.  Good. Can you tell me your name?” _

 

_ Lance held his breath as he waited in anticipation. _

 

_ “Keith.” _

 

Lance watched as Keith preened himself, brushing any knots out of his fur with the ornate brush Lance had given him a few deca-pheobs earlier.  He looked content to sit in the opulent pile of cushions and pillows that he had also acquired during his time as Lance’s pet, a need Lance suspected that was more instinctual rather than any conscious decision he had made.  

 

Lance was proud of how far Keith had come in their time together.  He had started out as a rough, vulgar primitive and with some hard work and patience, he now resembled an upstanding citizen of the Altean Empire.  Well, maybe not a citizen but a child perhaps. A being that had a basic knowledge of their language and customs, one that didn’t have the respect or standing that a standard citizen would have.  But for a Galran? Keith was practically royalty.

 

It had been difficult to convince the rest of the court and even his mother, but Lance’s experiment could finally be called a success.  His goal of controlling another species, especially a violent one, without the use of a hotkrill was considered to be impossible. Something that could never be done.  And yet, here sat the leader of a rebel Galran faction that had tried to kill Lance’s unit on sight, sitting unrestrained in their Crown Prince’s bedroom, content with brushing his fur.

 

Now that Lance was the Emperor, his true plan could start to fall into place.  The plan that he had been working towards since he was a young teen with the wide eyes of innocence.  He had been working tirelessly towards his goal for everlasting peace, the same as what the rest of the Empire claimed to be, but not in the traditional way.  His plan was that of co-operation, not enslavement. If he could start to control his new subjects with kindness and a firm hand instead of taking their free will, then they would be more likely to support him and only him in his endeavors.  

 

A beep came from his communicator, causing Lance to glance over at it and realize that it was on his private line.  No one ever used his private line, not that many people even knew it existed, unless it was an emergency. Glancing back over at Keith, Lance picked up the unit and accepted the incoming call.

 

“Lotor, what a pleasure,” Lance purred as he took in the appearance of his estranged cousin.  

 

Lotor scowled at Lance, “I am only here because I need to be, cousin.  We haven’t heard from you in some time and the others are starting to worry.  Is everything alright?”

 

Internally Lance allowed himself to groan at what Lotor had said, of course, they were starting to worry, they were all a bunch of old women with their worrying.  He couldn’t even go off the grid for a couple of deca-pheobs without them sending the one person they knew would annoy Lance into responding.

 

“Why wouldn’t everything be ok?” Lance snarled his annoyance with Lotor merely contacting him already growing.

 

“We have heard reports that your mother passed away suddenly and that you are now Emperor.  Was that your doing?”

 

Lance took a moment to take a breath, “Yes my mother passed away from an unforeseen illness.  I do not like your insinuating that I had something to do with it though. I am a son, grieving the loss of his mother while trying to maintain the peace that she strived to uphold.”

 

“Spare me your lies Lance, I know you didn’t care for your mother.  Neither did I, even if she was my aunt,” Lotor sighed, “Look I don’t like talking to you as much as you don't’ like talking to me.  So how about we both drop the pretenses and just get this over with as quickly as possible.”

 

“Fine.  Now, what do you really want?”

 

Lotor glared, “The leaders want a report immediately on what is happening with the Empire now that the Empress is dead.”

 

Lance knew this had been coming for a while.  He knew that when he had gone radio silent after he had found Keith, that he would be feeling the repercussions at some point, but he had to focus on his pet otherwise everything he had been working towards would have been for nothing.  

 

“Not that it’s any of your business, Lotor,” Lance said, “But the Empire is doing fine under my control.  We are moving forward in the right direction and-”

 

“And which direction is that?” Lotor cut in.  “Yours or ours?”

 

Lance bristled at the way he was being spoken to by his  _ younger _ cousin, “The only way that we can go.  Our way. The way of our people.”

 

Before Lance could go any further in his building rant towards Lotor, he felt a body climb up onto the bed and lean against him.

 

“What.  Is. That?”

 

Lance shifted his gaze to Keith, who was now curling up on his lap and preparing to go to sleep.  Without even realizing it, Lance started to card his hands through the fur on Keith’s head, relaxing the Galran even further.

 

“This is the reason that I have been busy,” Lance looked back to the screen on the communicator, “This is Keith, my new pet.”

 

“You dropped off the radar for deca-pheobs for a pet?  You do realize how much trouble you are going to be in when I report back to-”

 

“Have another look, cousin,” Lance said.

 

Lotor’s jaw dropped as he took in the purple fur, the large ears and the golden pupilless eyes that were barely cracked open in annoyance of having his nap interrupted.  “He’s Galran?”

 

“Yes.  His name is Keith and he was the leader of his group that we found a few deca-pheobs ago,” Lance said with a fond smile.

 

“Where is his hotkrill?”

 

Lance moved the longer fur that would normally be were a hotkril would sit and showed the bare neck, “He doesn’t have one.”

 

“But, the Galra.  They’re-”

 

“Violent?  Savage? Untamable?” Lance said, “Yes they are.”

 

“Then how?” Lotor kept staring at the now peacefully sleeping Galra, “How can you have one asleep on your lap like a yupper?”

 

Lance smirked, “Simple.  I trained him to behave. He even speaks some Altean now.”

 

Lotor slumped back as he stared in disbelief at Lance’s words.  If he had made Lotor speechless, Lance would hold this day in celebration for the rest of his life.  It was rare for his know-it-all cousin to be speechless, especially for Lance to be the cause of it.

 

“Tell the leaders that our plans are still in place and now that my experiment with Keith here is complete, I foresee all hotkrills being removed and all the non-cogs being released into complacency training,” Lance smiled at Lotor, “It may take another generation for us to no longer need the training at all but soon we will be on a new path of peace, cousin.  Soon we will no longer have to stop the Altean Empire from taking over the universe.”

 

“I never thought you would actually succeed Lance,” Lotor said, “It was always an impossible mission to change the way of the entire Empire.  To remove hotkrills and to free the non-cogs. But you have done it. You have done the impossible and I couldn’t be more proud to call you family.”

 

Lance nodded in acknowledgment before saluting Lotor, “May Garmora watch over you Lotor.”

 

“And may her guns protect you Lance,” Lotor replied with a matching salute.

Lance switched his communicator off and sighed.  He hoped that Honerva, the current leader of Guns of Garmora and Lance’s aunt, was happy with his report.  She had been the one to recruit him when he was younger, by sticking her neck and the safety of her organization to convince the Crown Prince of the Empire they were trying to take down, to turn his back on his mother and save his people.

 

It had been a long journey and it was only the beginning.  Lance had a lot of work to do, now that he was in charge of the Empire.  It was going to be a long and hard road to change the way his people thought and acted, but he truly thought they were worth the effort.  And if his pet was anything to go by. Anyone could change.


End file.
